WORLD TANTRIX
CHAMPIONSHIP FAQ - ESSENTIAL THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
All of the web pages referred to below are linked to
from the World Championship home page at http://tournaments.tantrix.co.uk/wtc.shtml
This web page covers all the things you most need to
know. It is mainly supposed to help you but IF YOU DO NOT READ THIS PAGE AND
SOMETHING GOES WRONG FOR YOU IN THE TOURNAMENT BECAUSE YOU DID NOT READ IT, YOU
WILL NOT BE GIVEN THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT.
This page is arranged in sections. If this is your
first World Championship, you should read sections 1-10, and should be aware of
the remaining sections. The sections that
tell you what to do to arrange your first match are sections 3 and 4.
Those
who have played in previous World Championships should read this page quickly
to refresh their memory.
You can either read through this page from start to finish
or click on the links in the Contents section to go to the parts that you need
to read.
CONTENTS:
- Introduction
- Where do I find
information during the tournament?
- What should I do now?
- How do I find out who my
first opponent is and arrange my match?
- How many games are there in
a match and what are the deadlines?
- How do I send in results?
- How do I know what colour to
use?
- What should I do if I have
any problems?
- What happens when I win or lose a
match?
- How do I enter the Plate?
- Is distracting /
disruptive behaviour the same as cheating?
- Are there other forms of
cheating too?
- Are there any bugs on the results
pages and lists?
- ‘Decisive victory’ rule
- Final words – have fun!
APPENDIX. Examples of controversies
You should have been told in an email who the
assistant controller (“AC”) for your section is - please contact them if there
are any problems or disputes or if you are confused by anything on this page.
Most importantly, PLEASE DO NOT REMAIN SILENT
if you have a problem or it is difficult to play your match - we can only help
you if you keep us informed and players who do not keep us informed and do not
answer emails waste more of our time than anyone else.
It is always your responsibility to contact your
opponent once you know who they are. You will not be reminded about this for future rounds. All the information you need is on the
website.
2. WHERE DO I FIND INFORMATION
DURING THE TOURNAMENT?
To find any of the links referred to in this email, please
go to http://tournaments.tantrix.co.uk/wtc.shtml
a)
The “World
Tantrix – this is the one you MUST read” email tells you which section of the
draw you are in.
b)
Arrange your
first match or matches – see section 4 below.
c)
Read the
rules, especially if this is your first tournament - they tell you all about
scoring, time limits, the colours each player uses, what to do if someone does
not turn up for a match or disconnects, etc
d)
The full
Tantrix tournament rules in English, French, German and Hungarian can be found
at http://tournaments.tantrix.co.uk/rules0.shtml -
those rules cover things like time limits, tournament scoring, colour
selection, disconnections and defaults in detail, whereas this page talks about
issues specific to the World Championship. The most important things in the
full tournament rules are that games are scored in tournament points (TPs),
which allow for margins as well as whether you win or lose each game, and that you get time penalties deducted from your
tournament points if you take 15 minutes or more for a single game.
4. HOW DO I FIND OUT WHO MY
FIRST OPPONENT IS AND ARRANGE MY MATCH?
a)
Arranging games
with people on the other side of the world needs some thought, but over 95 % of
players manage it, so you can too. If you think of playing in a tournament
involving 21 countries as FUN, it will seem much easier - and it IS easier (and
cheaper) than flying to a different country to play each match! :<)
b)
You must
write emails trying to arrange games within 2 days of the start of each round and copy in your AC,
unless you have told the Controller that you will be away then – if not, your
AC may chase you and if you do not act quickly after that, you may be
defaulted. See rule 8 in the full tournament rules for full details.
c)
If you do
not already know, you can find out which section of the draw you are in by
going to the WTC home page at http://tournaments.tantrix.co.uk/wtc.shtml and following the HELP WITH
ARRANGING GAMES link. Find your nickname on that list (they are in
alphabetical order) – your section or group is the number shown for you in the
“Section” or “Grp” column. If you are in the
Preliminary phase, you can also find your group by looking for yourself on http://tournaments.tantrix.co.uk/2004wtc/g0.htm.
d)
Clicking on
your group or section number will bring up the results page for your section,
where you will see who your first opponent/s is/are.
e)
Click on
the ARRANGING GAMES link and find your opponent’s nickname on the list.
f)
Check their
time preferences, if any, and compare them with your own. There is a guide to
time zones and timeslots A-D at http://tournaments.tantrix.co.uk/results/timezone.htm
- W before the letter A-D just means weekend.
g)
Click on
your opponent's name to start
an email addressed to them and try to suggest sensible times for your match
based on their time preferences and yours. If none of your time
preferences match, please try to be flexible.
h)
Make sure
you suggest times in GMT. If you want
to be helpful, you can say what time you think that is in their time zone too.
It is a good idea to copy the Assistant Controller for your section in so they
can check too.
i)
Remember
that even the day of the week may not be the same for your opponent, so please
make it very clear what you mean! For
example, if you are in
j)
Matches can
be played all games at once, or a few games at a time
... whatever is most convenient. It is best to agree this in advance. If you
see your opponent in the lobby before arranging a time, make sure you agree
whether any game you play is a tournament game or not BEFORE you start!
k)
If your
opponent does not reply for 3 days (unless it says on the right hand side of
the arranging games list that they have said they are going to be away at that
time), please let your Assistant Controller know so that they can chase them.
l)
You should
copy your AC (see section 8 below) into all
emails to World Tantrix opponents – they will file them in case of any disputes
later.
m) Please wait for at least 15 minutes if your opponent
is late for a match you have arranged. If one of you does turn up at the wrong time, we usually try to give
you one more chance if it is feasible - but please try to get it right the
first time!
n)
When
deciding which player to default if the deadline is reached without a match
being completed and no other arrangements having been made, ACs
have the right to ignore the any emails a player claims to have sent if they
did not copy them into the AC at the time.
o)
Players who make life difficult for their opponents by being
inconsiderate now risk getting penalty points awarded against them even if they
do not get defaulted – see the Full Rules.
p)
Players who default matches or withdraw when the tournament has already
started without very good reason risk getting banned from future tournaments or
put ‘on probation’ depending on how serious the offence is and how much
disruption was caused to other players and controllers.
5. HOW MANY GAMES ARE THERE IN
A MATCH AND WHAT ARE THE DEADLINES?
The number of games per match and the start and
deadline dates are shown on the results page for each section.
In Phase 1, there are FOUR games
against each other player in the group.
In Phase 2, there are SIX games per match in Rounds 1-4, and the number of games per
match then rises by one in each round after that.
The final DEADLINE for the Phase 1 groups is Saturday 28 August. This
is much longer than for the other rounds because many people are away in
August. Please try to finish all matches early though so that the ACs do not have too much chasing
to do in the last week.
In Phase 2, deadlines are at 10-11 day intervals except that slightly longer is
allowed for Round 1. You will find all of the deadlines shown near the top of
the Phase 2 results pages.
Deadlines will be very firm again this
year – unlike last year, there is no leeway in the deadlines to allow them to
be extended later. We may still give 1-2 day extensions to individual
players when they have had genuine problems and when an extension as short as
1-2 days would be enough to get that match played, but we will be much less
inclined to tolerate people who have problems meeting the deadlines because
they cannot be bothered to contact their opponents early enough. The deadlines are also shown on the
results pages and will soon appear on a special timetable page that you can
access from a link on the main WTC page.
To ensure that no part of the draw gets too far ahead,
after Round 1, please do not start any round more than two days before
the deadline for the previous round, except in special cases, eg. when one of the players is about to go on holiday and
will not be available for most of the next round.
Once you have finished EACH GAME in a match,
please submit the result. You should include the score, the times taken (round DOWN
to the minute), the colours each of you used and the 'game saved as' line from
the game room.
You can access the results submission form using the
"Submit Results" link on the page that appears as the game lobby
loads (it stays in the background afterwards) - or click here and bookmark the
form now:
http://tournaments.tantrix.co.uk/sendres.shtml
You should both send the results if you
want to be safe. If not, the player
whose name is on LEFT or TOP on the results pages must send it. You must also send the result if your
opponent takes
If you do not submit the result of a
tournament game before you start the next one (or if you do not submit it
within an hour of the end of the game if it was the last game in a session),
you may not not be eligible to play in tiebreak games
(if you are behind on TPs) and you will not be able to claim time penalties.
Time penalties must now be claimed as part of this original submission. You can
revoke your claim later (within 24 hours) if you decide that you should not
have claimed, so in most circumstances you should claim when you fill in the
results form.
7. HOW DO I KNOW WHAT COLOUR
TO USE?
Where a player has registered a
first preference colour on entry, they must use it in all games unless their opponent
has registered the same first preference colour or agrees to let them use an
alternative colour. If both players have registered the same first preference
colour, we encourage them to agree on alternative colours, but if this is not
possible, please see section 5 of the Full
Rules to find out what to do.
If your opponent has not used the correct colour, you can ask for the game to
be restarted but only if you do so before making your first move.
You cannot change colour preferences during the
tournament or say you have a colour preference when none is shown on the list.
This is a rule because otherwise you could claim just before the match to have
the same first choice colour as your opponent just to stop them playing with
it.
8. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I HAVE
ANY PROBLEMS?
You were told who the Assistant Controller for your
section of the draw is in an email. You can also find their nickname and email
on the HELP WITH ARRANGING GAMES page or on the results page for your
section of the draw.
If you have problems with an opponent not replying to
your emails, if you are going to be away from email for more than 4 days at a
time, or if a dispute arises in a match, please write to your Assistant Controller
with full details.
9. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I WIN OR
LOSE A MATCH IN THE MAIN DRAW?
If you win a match in the Phase 2, you qualify for the next round – it
should be clear if you look at the results sheet for your section which of the
other winners you will play next and whether or not they are known yet. Once
your next opponent is known, please contact them immediately.
If you lose a whole match (not just one game) in Phase 2 (but not in Phase 1), you are out
of the tournament. However, if you lose in Phase 1 or rounds 1 or 2 of Phase
2 and you complete your Round 2 match, if any, on time or we know that
it is your opponent’s fault that it is played late, you will be able to play in
the World Plate competition if you want to – see the next section.
The Plate is like the World Championship, but only
those knocked out in Phase 1 or in Rounds 1 and 2 of Phase 2 are allowed to
enter, so most of the best players do not take part. There is a small prize for
the winner.
If you lose in Phase 1 or in Round 1 or Round 2 of Phase 2, you will be
emailed in mid-late September and asked if you want
to play in the Plate. You will have to reply fast if you want to take
part, so if you are away in mid-late September, please tell Steven tournaments@tantrix.co.uk
before you go that
you will want to take part in the Plate if you lose, otherwise it will be your
own fault if you miss out. In fact, you can do this at any time, even
before you lose a match, if you want to make absolutely sure that you do
not miss out on the Plate.
11. IS DISTRACTING /
DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOUR THE SAME AS CHEATING?
We treat any attempt to distract or harass your
opponent as ‘unTantrixlike behaviour’ (i.e. much the
same as cheating), whether or not it is mentioned specifically in the rules. We
do not write rules for this because they would have to be 50 pages long to
cover every eventuality (and even then some idiots would still try to find ways
around them), but there are standards of behaviour that are generally accepted
by most players in tournament games and it is those standards that we will
apply.
If a player persists in inappropriate behaviour after
being warned (or if they do something really stupid like telling someone what
move to make in their game, even without having been warned before), we may
take away some of their tournament points, default them from the WTC or even
ban them from future tournaments at our discretion.
Examples relating to past controversies (eg. persistent chatting) are given in the Appendix at the
end of this page.
If you do have a problem with an opponent over
anything like this, please ask them to stop. If they persist, please report
them to the Controller, with evidence if possible.
We will be sensible about
this (and we hope you will be too), so do not worry about being defaulted when
you did not know that you were doing anything wrong. However, persistent and
stupid attempts to undermine opponents will no longer be tolerated.
12. ARE THERE OTHER FORMS OF
CHEATING TOO?
Other forms of cheating were listed at the bottom of
the entry form, and by entering you
undertook not to cheat in those ways or in any other ways. If you cannot
remember the list, check the Full Rules or ask your Assistant Controller for guidance.
13. ARE THERE ANY BUGS ON THE
RESULTS PAGES AND LISTS?
If you see two players in a
list or two games on a results page superimposed on each other, sometimes just hitting the back and forward buttons
sorts it out, otherwise try clicking the link for the page again. This is a
random Excel 2000 bug.
If you do experience any big problems, or notice
errors on any of the pages, please let me know.
14. ‘DECISIVE VICTORY’ RULE:
In Phase 2 only
(i.e. not in Phase 1 or the
Plate), the ‘decisive victory’
tiebreak rule that was used in the knockout phases of the Euro, NZ & Aus
Championships earlier this year will apply. See http://tournaments.tantrix.co.uk/decivict.htm.
Enough of the warnings - good luck in your matches,
and have lots of fun :-)
Prepared by:
Steven Trezise
Overall Controller, World Tantrix Championship
http://tournaments.tantrix.co.uk/wtc.shtml
APPENDIX – EXAMPLES OF
RECENT CONTROVERSIES:
Example 1 - chatting:
As a general rule, chatting during a tournament
game is not acceptable except to sort out problems, eg.
after disconnections. Even the players in the preliminary round clearly
realised this without being told, so senior players overstepping the boundaries
by large amounts have no excuse.
The only exception to this is if you have agreed
with your opponent before the match that chatting is ok. Players should note
that they should NOT feel under pressure to say yes to such requests.
Making fun of an opponent in any way when they have said no to such a request
is also considered to be putting unacceptable pressure on an opponent and is
therefore also classed as cheating. It is also not acceptable to say to
an opponent that they should ignore player comments in the game room if they do
not want to see your chat. This is because any player has a right to see
what might be written during their tournament game.
You can of course wish your opponent good luck
at the beginning of the game and the occasional short exclamation (eg. “oh no, I didn’t want to get THAT tile!”) is ok too. Spectators
should not do either of these things in the game room though – please wish
players good luck in the lobby before the game instead and do not talk about
the game at all until it has finished.
Congratulations at the end and comments once it
is absolutely certain that a) neither player can increase their points and b)
neither player is going to go over time are acceptable too. However, unless you
are a very good player, do not risk saying anything until the last tile has
been played just in case these things are not absolutely certain after all!
Persistent chatting in a tournament game room
while a game is in progress is NOT acceptable, even from the players. It is also very disrespectful to your opponent to chat in the
lobby while you are playing in a tournament game, as if you do not think you
need to concentrate because they are such a bad player, so please do not do
that either.
Going into a chat room with friends while you
are playing a tournament game is also classed as cheating, even if you do not
discuss the game in there, and is likely to result in an immediate default. This is because if an opponent sees you in a chat room, they are bound
to be distracted wondering if you are cheating in there.
Tournament games are meant to be fun, but you
must accept that many players take them seriously and they have a right to do
so.
Example 2 – telling your
opponent to play quicker:
Telling your opponent to hurry up is classed as
cheating. There is a time limit in tournament games, so
there is no excuse for doing this – if players go over the time limit, they get
points deducted and if they do not, then by definition they are NOT playing too
slowly, even if you think they are.
Example 3 – mouse movements:
Moving your mouse rapidly back and forth across
the screen to try to distract your opponent while they are moving is cheating,
so do not do it.
Making your cursor cover a forced space dot that
you do not want your opponent to see, or anything else like that, is also
cheating.
Example 4 – giving players
information:
Telling players the current overall TP score
after a game is fine if you have worked it out correctly, but players should
not rely on this to be correct without checking themselves.
Telling someone what move they should make, what
tiles are left in the bag or anything like that is obviously serious cheating.